If you are looking for the best way to cook wild duck, especially Diver Ducks, but not limited to teal and mallard- here is our go-to wild duck recipe! The tastiness of the Duck Tikka Masala transforms even the stronger tasting ducks into a drool worthy stew where we literally fight over the leftovers the next day.

Each Fall as I lose my husband to hunting season and experience daily stare downs with aging game birds in my fridge, I’m reminded of the tasty rewards that are to follow. Throughout duck hunting season, we go through our fair share of grilled duck recipes—Jalapeno poppers of course, simply grilled skin-on, whole plucked on the rotisserie, smoked, and more. But hands down, my favorite meal of duck season is when my husband cooks inside and makes Duck Tikka Masala.

While we usually reserve this for later in the season when our fridge starts getting stacked with diver ducks, there is zero reason why not to use puddle ducks like Teal or Mallards. The Lesser Scaup (or Bluebills) Scott shoots down here are feeding primarily on Clams, which naturally imparts a strong flavor. The combination of pre-marinating, roasting, then simmering in the sauce does wonders for the texture and flavor of any strong-tasting diver.

A light and refreshing Indian Cucumber salad balances the flavors, spice, and texture of the Tikka Masala. To tie everything together, serve either Coconut Cauliflower rice or traditional Coconut rice. More about the Tikka Masala can be found in Jesse Griffith’s AFIELD – A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish. Jesse’s book has a ton of chef driven recipes for hunters (and their wives!), I highly recommend this book!

In an ideal world, prep and marinate the duck and make the cucumber salad earlier in the day. Longer is better, but trust me we’ve made everything on the fly at night and it’s equally good.

This Tikka Masala Wild Duck Recipe is so good we fight over the leftovers the next day.

Ingredients for this Wild Duck Tikka Masala Recipe (from Jesse Griffith’s Afield)

Duck

• 3-6 ducks, breasted and skinless, gauged to what size ducks you have and how many people you are serving. Err on the high side so you have leftovers. For instance, we’d use 6 Teal (12 breast), but might only need 3-4 Bluebills.  

Tikka Masala Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt (buy 2 cups, the other cup is used in the salad)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 1 piece of ginger, grated or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds (Substitute power, but try and get the seeds)
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds (Substitute power, but try and get the seeds)
• Cayenne, Chili, or Chipotle powder to taste
• 2 tsp turmeric

Tikka Masala Sauce

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 28-oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 1 piece of ginger, grated or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 2 tbsp Grama Masala
• Cayenne, Chili, or Chipotle powder to taste
• Coconut oil
• Real salt and fresh pepper to taste

Cucumber Salad

• 3-4 cucumbers
• 1 cup plain yogurt (buy 2 cups, the other used in the marinate)
• Lemon juice
• Sugar to taste
• Cumin to taste
• Turmeric for color  
• Fresh mint (Substitute Cilantro)

Coconut Cauliflower Rice

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 head fresh cauliflower per two people. Pulsed in a food processor or similar preparation.   
• Butter
• Fresh mint (Substitute Cilantro)  
•  

How to Make this Wild Duck Recipe for Duck Tikka Masala

Marinate the duck

1. Clean and wash the duck breasts, then slice into small cubes
2. Briefly toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a hot, dry cast iron skillet. This step can be substituted with coriander and cumin powder, but using the whole seeds makes a big difference. Don’t skimp here.
3. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large glass bowl, then add the duck. Thoroughly work the marinade into the duck, cover, and let sit in the fridge as long as your schedule allows.

Make the cucumber salad

4. Peel the cucumbers, then slice lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and pulp, then slice and dice into small pieces.
5. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a glass bowl, and add the cucumbers. Thoroughly mix, cover, and let sit in the fridge as long as your schedule allows.

Make the Tikka Masala sauce

6. Preheat the broiler and set the top rack 4-5” below the broiler.
7. Arrange the duck on a broiler tray or baking sheet and set aside.   
8. In a medium stockpot, bring coconut oil to sauté temperature, and start cooking the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté and stir for about 10 minutes until the flavor and colors are at their prime.  
9. Add the grama masala and work it into the onions.
10. Add the crushed tomatoes, heavy whipping cream, spice/salt/pepper to taste. Lower to a simmer and let thicken for 15-20 minutes.
11. Start cooking the Cauliflower Rice, step 14.  
12. Broil the duck for about 10 minutes, flipping/stirring after 5 minutes. The goal here is to not completely finish the duck as it will continue cooking in the sauce.
13. Remove the duck from the over and add to the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 10 more minutes. Taste for salt and spice as needed. By now, the Cauliflower rice will be done.

Make the Cauliflower Rice  

14. Warm some butter in a large sauté pan and add the cauliflower.
15. Sauté for a few minutes then begin slowly adding and stirring in the coconut milk. Gauge the amount of coconut milk to the amount of cauliflower. Better to keep adding and maintain an even consistency as it cooks then adding too much at once and making it soupy.
16. Add the mint, lower to a simmer, and continue to stir.
17. Return to the Tikka Masala, step 12.

Plate the meal

18. Serve the Tikka Masala over a bed of rice and a side of the cucumber salad. Garnish with mint.

If you’re a hunter, make sure to follow along my instagram and facebook as I’m often cooking up my husband, @marshdoodle’s bounties of duck during the season. I’ve also got a great smoked Venison recipe you should try. If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment below and tag me on the Gram! Don’t be a stranger I love to hear from you!

Duck Tikka Masala – The Best Wild Duck Recipe for Diver Ducks

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: Robyn
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 5-6 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Duck Tikka Masala is great with any kind of duck but is the perfect use of stronger flavored diver ducks. Paired with Cucumber Salad and cauliflower coconut rice, this recipe will make you excited for the falls bounty of ducks. We make this on the regular and NEVER grow tired of this recipe!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Duck

• 3–6 ducks, breasted and skinless, gauged to what size ducks you have and how many people you are serving. Err on the high side so you have leftovers. For instance, we’d use 6 Teal (12 breast), but might only need 3-4 Bluebills.

Tika Masala Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt (buy 2 cups, the other cup is used in the salad)
• 3–4 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 1 piece of ginger, grated or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds (Substitute power, but try and get the seeds)
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds (Substitute power, but try and get the seeds)
• Cayenne, Chili, or Chipotle powder to taste
• 2 tsp turmeric

Tika Masala Sauce

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 28-oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3–4 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 1 piece of ginger, grated or chopped (or frozen cubes)
• 2 tbsp Grama Masala
• Cayenne, Chili, or Chipotle powder to taste
• Coconut oil
• Real salt and fresh pepper to taste

Cucumber Salad

• 3–4 cucumbers
• 1 cup plain yogurt (buy 2 cups, the other used in the marinate)
• Lemon juice
• Sugar to taste
• Cumin to taste
• Turmeric for color
• Fresh mint (Substitute Cilantro)

Coconut Cauliflower Rice

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 head fresh cauliflower per two people. Pulsed in a food processor or similar preparation.
• Butter
• Fresh mint (Substitute Cilantro)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

Marinade the duck

1. Clean and wash the duck breasts, then slice into small cubes
2. Briefly toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a hot, dry cast iron skillet. This step can be substituted with coriander and cumin powder, but using the whole seeds makes a big difference. Don’t skimp here.
3. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large glass bowl, then add the duck. Thoroughly work the marinade into the duck, cover, and let sit in the fridge as long as your schedule allows.

Make the cucumber salad

4. Peel the cucumbers, then slice lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and pulp, then slice and dice into small pieces.
5. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a glass bowl, and add the cucumbers. Thoroughly mix, cover, and let sit in the fridge as long as your schedule allows.

Make the Tikka Masala sauce

6. Preheat the broiler and set the top rack 4-5” below the broiler.
7. Arrange the duck on a broiler tray or baking sheet and set aside.
8. In a medium stockpot, bring coconut oil to sauté temperature, and start cooking the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté and stir for about 10 minutes until the flavor and colors are at their prime.
9. Add the grama masala and work it into the onions.
10. Add the crushed tomatoes, heavy whipping cream, spice/salt/pepper to taste. Lower to a simmer and let thicken for 15-20 minutes.
11. Start cooking the Cauliflower Rice, step 14.
12. Broil the duck for about 10 minutes, flipping/stirring after 5 minutes. The goal here is to not completely finish the duck as it will continue cooking in the sauce.
13. Remove the duck from the over and add to the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 10 more minutes. Taste for salt and spice as needed. By now, the Cauliflower rice will be done.

Make the Cauliflower Rice  

14. Warm some butter in a large sauté pan and add the cauliflower.
15. Sauté for a few minutes then begin slowly adding and stirring in the coconut milk. Gauge the amount of coconut milk to the amount of cauliflower. Better to keep adding and maintain an even consistency as it cooks then adding too much at once and making it soupy.
16. Add the mint, lower to a simmer, and continue to stir.
17. Return to the Tikka Masala, step 12.

Plate the meal

18. Serve the Tikka Masala over a bed of rice and a side of the cucumber salad. Garnish with mint.

 

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: wild duck
• Method: braise
• Cuisine: Indian